Design and economic investigation of shell and tube heat exchangers using Improved Intelligent Tuned Harmony Search algorithm

This study explores the thermal design of shell and tube heat exchangers by using Improved Intelligent Tuned Harmony Search (I-ITHS) algorithm. Intelligent Tuned Harmony Search (ITHS) is an upgraded version of harmony search algorithm which has an advantage of deciding intensification and diversification processes by applying proper pitch adjusting strategy. In this study, we aim to improve the search capacity of ITHS algorithm by utilizing chaotic sequences instead of uniformly distributed random numbers and applying alternative search strategies inspired by Artificial Bee Colony algorithm and Opposition Based Learning on promising areas (best solutions). Design variables including baffle spacing, shell diameter, tube outer diameter and number of tube passes are used to minimize total cost of heat exchanger that incorporates capital investment and the sum of discounted annual energy expenditures related to pumping and heat exchanger area. Results show that I-ITHS can be utilized in optimizing shell and tube heat exchangers.